Dear TIS Parents,My wife Ven Ven and I want to thank you for making us feel so welcome during our recent visit to Portland. We enjoyed meeting all of you and getting a better sense of your beautiful city, and I particularly enjoyed the chance to hear the perspectives of so many people regarding the school that they so clearly love and support.

TIS, like every school, faces challenges. Guiding and nourishing the development of children is probably the most complex endeavor that any group of people can take on. But when there is truly a group of teachers, parents, and staff members, working openly and collaboratively as a community, such as the community of terrific people I encountered at TIS last week, the chances for success are greatly increased. I am excited to have the opportunity to serve the wonderful mission of TIS, a school that has, since its inception, aspired to be extraordinary and has thus been about 20 years ahead of much of America.

At TIS I met staff, students, and parents who live the IB Learner Profile by being:

If we live by this profile each day, together we will be able to bring the excellent new strategic plan to fruition and accomplish the extraordinary.

I look forward to continued collaboration with the wonderful Stephan Grasmuck this spring; to beginning work on site this summer; and to working with you, your children, and the dedicated and talented staff in September.

In the meantime I wish you a peaceful and very sunny spring, and I promise, in time, to wean myself from carrying an umbrella.